Bichakd wylie



(No Model.) '2 sheetssheet 1;

l E. WYLIE. SIDEWALK GUEB AEE SUEEEGE CASE .EOE ELECTRIC WIRES'.

No. 295,710. `merma Mar. l25, 1384.

` WITNESSES:

(No Model.) @sheetssheen 2.

R. WYLIE..

SIDEWALK CURB AND SURFACE CASE EUR' ELECTRIC WIRES.

,710. Patented 25, 1884.

INVBNTOR WITNESSE ATTORNEYS.

e UNITED STATES PATENT G12-FICE.

RICHARD WYLIE, oIivArA, CALIFORNIA.

SlDEWALK-CURB AND SURFACE-CASE FR ELECTRIC WIRES.

SPECIFICATICN forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,710, dated March 25', .1884.

l Application filed December 14, i883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may con/cern:v

Be it known that I, RICHARD WYLIE, of l Napa, in the county of Napa and State of (lalifornia, have invented a new and Improved Sidewalk-Curb and Surface-Case for Electric Wires, of which the following'is a full, clear, and exact description.

lIhe object of my invention is to provide a new and improved case for electric wires in lIo the curbs of sidewalks and in the surface of moved for placing the wires. in the blocks or making connections with the wires for repairing breaks, Src.

The invention further consists in the combi.-

nation, with theabove-Inentioned castings, of

corner-pieces for finishing the corners of the streets and establi ing communication between the blocks held on the curb and the 3o blocks of the crossing.

The invention also consists in various parts and details and combinations of the same, as

will be fully described andset forth herein-A after. i 3 5 Reference is to behad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of my im- 40 proved sidewalkcurb and surfacecase for electric wires, showing the manner in which the plates are raised.` Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, showing one of the cover-plates raised. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal elevation of the same on the line w, Fig. 2, showing the entire case closed. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation on the line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation on the linezz, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the corner- 5o piece offthe curb. i

Along the curb ofthe sidewalk A blocks or castings B are arranged, which rest on 'a baseblock, C, the blocks or castings B being `provided with a longitudinal central groove, B',

`in the upper surface, which groove is preferably made semicircular. From the edges of the groove B the upper surface of the casting or plate is inclined downward toward each longitudinal edge into pockets B2, formed parallel with and oneat cach side of the groove B. At its inner longitudinal edge the casting B is provided with an upwardly-projecting flange, D, the upper edge of` which is flush4 with the sidewalk. The bottom of the outer pocket, B2, is slightly rounded, as shown, so as to receive a roller, d, formed on the bottom ofthe outer edge of a cover, E, provided in its under side with a central longitudinal A groove, E', and 'having its bottoni inclined downward from the edges of the grooves, so as to fit against the inclined upper surface of the castings B, which cover is of such height that when it rests on the casting B its upper surface will be flush with the sidewalk. At its router edge the cover E is provided with a shoulder, d', above the roller d, and the casting B is provided at its outer edge with a flat part, cl2, upon'which the shoulder d of the cover can rest when thecoveris raised into a vertical position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. If the said cover is swung into a vertical position,it will be held in this position until it is swung down again. The flange D is provided in its upper surface and along the inner edge with a rabbet, b, adapted to receive a iiange, e, projecting from the inner edge of the cover E at the top of the same.

In the upper edgeof the ange D of the casting B a series of notches, b', are `formed for receiving hooks to swing upward the covers E.

end with a rabbet, g, and at the opposite end with aiiiange, k, fitting against the rabbet of the preceding cover-section. The rabbets g` are provided with grooves h, for conducting off the water that leaks through the joints. The upper surface of the cover E is serrated or roughened in any other suitable manner. At the crossing of the street the `wires must be carried below the surface of the roadwaythat is, below the level of the groove in the castings B-and the castings B must have a IOO 9o Each section of the cover E is provided at one i corner finish at the corners of the streets. At

. the corner a casting or block, G, is provided,

the upper surface of which is iiush with the top of the sidewalk, and the edge of which is rounded according to the shape of the corner, the said block projecting outward from the block B in the shape of a bracket. Below the said block G trough-shaped blocks or castings H are arranged, the upper edges of which are flush with the surface of the roadwaypavement I, the said castings H having a longitudinal groove, H, in the bottom, and having the bottom inclined downward from'the upper edge of the groove to form two plates, Hz H2.

In the casting H a cover, J fits, which has its bottom inclined to lit against the upper surface of the bottom of the castingH, and is provided with a longitudinal groove, J which cover J is provided with flanges j at the longitudinal edges, which anges t in rabbets in the upper surfaces of the side pieces of the castings H, the upper surface of' the cover-J being flush with the roadway-pavement. The covers' J are also provided with a rabbet at one end'and a flange at the other, so as to form close j oints. That casting H which passes under the corner-block G is provided at its inner end with an upwardly-inclined end, K, up which the wires can pass into the grooves B of the castings B. A block, L, having its outer edge rounded the same as the corner,

fits in between the surface of the block G and the upper surface of the cover J of that block or casting H below the block G. The block or'corner-piece L is provided with a ridge, M, the outer end of which is rounded, and the inner end of which is provided with a rabbet, m, in which a flange, k, of the cover E of the adjoining casting or block B fits, the block G being provided with a rabbet, m', forming a continuation of' the rabbet m. The upper surface of the ridge M is flush with the top of the block G, which in turn is flush with the sidewalk.

In the inner end of the block L a curved recess, O, is formed, which has, its edge beveled downward about parallel with the inclined end K, formed at the end of the first casting H of the crossing, the first cover J being correspondingly cut away at J 2.

At each side of the recess O shanks O are formed on the block L, each of which is provided in its bottom surface with a longitudinal groove, o, adaptedto receive longitudinal ridgesp on the upper surface of the cover J of the first section or casting H of' the crossing. The .inner prongor shank, O', is provided at its inner edge with a stud, r, which is adapted to pass into a notch, s, formed in the bottom edge of the inner longitudinal ridge or shank of the cover E of that casting or block ,B adjoining or resting against the corner-block G. The uppersurface of the covers J of the castings or blocks H are also serrated or roughened in some suitable inan` ner.

To lay the cables or wires, all the covers E and J are swung up or removed, and the block L is passed out from under the block- G, the 7o wires are placed in the grooves B H', and the corner-block L ispassed under the block G, and then the covers E and J are swung down.

If the cover E of that casting B adjoining the corner-block is swung down, the projection r of the corner-block L will pass into the notch s of the cover E, whereby the corner-block L will be locked, and displacement in the direction of the length of the cover E will be prevented. The end flange, k, of the cover E passes into the rabbets m m', formed -in the corner-blocksL and G. The ends ofthe covers l E overlap each other in the manner described. Then the covers J of the U-shaped pieces H are placed in the said pieces H, and the first cover J is slipped under the corner-block L,

the ridges p of the said cover passing into the groove o, and thus preventing lateral displacement of the'corner-block L. The remaining covers J are then placed in the castings or 9o blocks H. The end flange of one cover J passes into the rabbet of the adjoining cover.

At the middle of the street the covers abut against each other without any end fianges, and from the middle toward the sides of the street the end flanges are always arranged on the ends of the cover-sections toward the curb,

the rabbets being formed on the ends toward the middle of the street. The upper edges of the side pieces of the castings or blocksvH'are 10o provided with notches for admitting hooks for raising the covers J. The covers E can be raised by means of the lever l?, to which hookarms Q are pivoted, as shown in Fig. 1, the hooks of the arms Q, passing into the notches b in the upper edges of the'flanges ofthe castings or blocks B. The covers J can be raised by means of tongs suspended from derricks,

as is also shown in Fig. 1. The blocks B and H are provided with suitable apertures to no permit the water that collects in the saine to iiow off. The castings B and H and their covers E and J can be made in sections of various lengths, according to the streets' in which they are to be located. The wires held in-the case thus formed on the curb and in the surface of the street are entirely outl of the way, can be reached very easily for making repairs or connections, and the case gives the curb of the sidewalk a perfect finish.

The shaft of .the groove for receiving the wires and the sizeof' the said groove can be varied as circumstances may require.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with a grooved block or casting, of a cover provided with a roller-joint for swinging the cover upward, substantially as herein 13o shown and described.

2. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with a grooved block or casting, of a cover tting on the said block or casting, and

provided with a roller-joint, d, and' with a Gand the removable cornerblock L, placed shoulder, d', substantially as herein shown and described. A

3. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with a block or casting having a longitudinal groove in the upper surface of its bottom, which upper surface is inclined downward v from the edges of the groove, of a cover iitting on the casting or block,and provided with a longitudinal groove in its under side, substantially as herein shown and described.

44:. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with the block or casting B, having a flange, D, provided in its upper edge with a rabbet, b, ofthe cover E, provided with aiiange, e, iitting in the rabbet b, substantially as here in shown and described. y

5. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with grooved castings held along` the curb of the sidewalk and grooved castings located in thestreet at the crossings, of a cornerblock located at the corner ofthe sidewalk, and establishing communication between'the blocks or castings of the curb and the blocks or castings of the streetcrossings, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with the grooved castings or blocks B H and their covers E J, of corner-blocks establishing communication between the castings B and H, substantially as herein shown and described. i

7. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with the grooved castings or blocks B H and their covers E J, of the fixed corner-block G and the removable corner-block L, placed between the fixed corner-block G and the cover of the first casting or block H, substantially as herein shown and described.

8. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with the grooved castings or blocks B H and their covers E J, of the lixed corner-block between the fixed corner-block G and the cover of the first casting or block H,`.which cornerblock L is provided with a ridge, M, substantially as herein shown and described.

9. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with the grooved castings or blocks B H and their covers E J, of the xed corner-block G, provided with a rabbet, m', and the removable corner-block L, placed between the fixed corner-block G and the cover of the rst casting or block H, which corner-block L is provided with a ridge, M, having a rabbet, m,

"substantially as herein shown and described.

l0. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with the grooved castings or blocks B H and their covers E J, of the fixed corner-block G andi the removable corner-block L, provided in its under surface with grooves for receiving ridges p on thecover J of the first casting or block H, substantially as herein shown and described.

11. In a case for electric wires, the combination, with a grooved block, B, anda grooved block, H, of the cover E, having a recess o"`r notch, s, the fixed corner-block G, and the removable cornerblock L, having a projection, r, adapted to pass into the notch sin the adjoining cover E, substantially as herein shown and described.

l2. In a ease for electric wires, the combination, with a casting or block, B, and the cover E, of a casting or block, H, and its cover J, the fixed corner-block G, and the removable corner-block L, whereby a continuous groove Y is formed, substantially as' herein shown and described. 

